NEWS

Serena named AP Female Athlete of the Year

After an outstanding 2013 season that saw her win 11 titles and finish as the year-end world No. 1, Serena Williams was honored as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.

This is the third time in her career that Williams has received the distinction, having previously won in 2002 and 2009. Her three AP Female Athlete of the Year awards trail only track and golf star Babe Didrikson (six) and fellow tennis legend Chris Evert (four).

Williams’ 11 titles were the most on the WTA tour since Martina Hingis won 12 in 1997 and included her 16th and 17th Grand Slam titles, at Roland Garros and the US Open, as well as the season-ending WTA Championships. Her 17 Grand Slam titles are only one behind Evert and Martina Navratilova for third on the all-time list, also trailing Margaret Court (24) and Steffi Graf (22).

Williams finished as the year-end No. 1 for the first time since 2009 behind an impressive 78-4 match record for the season, earning the best winning percentage (.951) for a female player since Graf in 1989 (.977). Overall, Williams won 11 of the 15 tournament she entered.

She also shattered the record for most prize money won by a female tennis player in a single season, earning $12,385,572, also the third-highest season total for any player, behind only Novak Djokovic’s totals in 2011 and 2012.